Poster January and November 2018

This poster was done in Relief Society in January 2018.

I have enjoyed having it in my kitchen.

Today I am home - with two or three styes in my left eye.

I decided to make another poster.

I don't have many resources here... but I love this poster.

I trust it will gladden my heart for a few months.

Durban Botanic Garden

Discordia and Harmonia:

On Monday the site was noisy with the type of noise that frays my imperturbability. The TLB was rumbling about. The bobcat was shifting soil to the fountain area in front of the Temple - not far from our office. The hand-driven compactor was following it.

I thought "I just have to get away from here."  I remembered I needed to fetch my Botanical Society membership card from the Durban Botanic Garden office (held there at my request, for me to collect instead of them posting it to Gauteng.) I parked in the fairly empty car-park.
Established 1849... 169 years old... The huge trees felt comforting. "They will be here long after I am gone..." 
I walked past the cracks in the brickwork where peace-in-the-home was growing. "I hope I can grow peace where there are age-cracks in my life..." 

I strolled past the bouncy trees. I remembered Cheryn and Zeek bouncing there when they were little. I felt quite tearful. "They are all so far away..." 

I picked up this seed and that - ones I don't have in my collection in La Lucia "I am constantly amazed at the variety of colour, shape and texture! I'm so glad to live and see all this beauty!"


I saw the most gorgeous vine with drooping red (whatever you call them) "What a wonderful creation - thank you Heavenly Father..."

The stillness was SO welcome. I collected my card. I wandered around the garden. 

I looped past where Angela Simon and we met - was it two years ago?! "I'm grateful for good and kind friends..." 

I noticed the Petrea vine "My Mom loved Petrea. She planted in our garden what she could of what she loved wherever she went..."

I went on remoter paths I haven't been on before... "I'm grateful for the security men I see walking around... I feel safe enough to breathe freely, go where I want to, and relax..." 

I watched the ducklings - so sweet... just going about unafraid under the watchful eye of their mother... "I'm glad for being able to pause and watch them."

I left in time to miss the afternoon rush-hour-traffic..

I'm glad I went.

I felt like my Time Out Of Time was just what I needed.
I felt my well-being and balance was restored.

Tender Thursday

 I enjoy seeing the sentiments I sometimes feel expressed so beautifully by others on the internet.

The last few days have been tender for me - prompted by a question at work about my Mother last Friday.

I was transported back to my childhood, teenage and young adult years.  Even young and middle married years now that I think about it...

I love that this woman is walking by the seashore.  I am grateful to be near the sea for now.  I enjoy going down to the beach and watching and listening to the sea and feeling the breeze on my face.

I see the sunset every day if I want to, and most days, when I am home, I make the time to pause, breathe, thank God, and watch the (often) magnificent sunsets.

I am grateful too see the colours and the formations.  I appreciate that when there are clouds the sunset is magnificent.  The play of light and shadow is wonderful to watch.

When there are many clouds, as there sometimes are, I am glad to know the sun is there - I just can't see it.

Some days there are no clouds and it is not possible to "look" at the sun as it sets.  But, I can see the afterglows and enjoy them.

Sometimes in the early morning, I see the moon on the West as it seems to set.  Beautiful!

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This morning when I saw Glenn off I noticed the sun through the clouds on the East.  Gorgeous again!

I just thought "God's in His Heaven... All's right with (my) world."  I'm grateful to feel that in the depths of my soul.

I don't know why the life that was mine, is mine, was and is mine.

I know I have learnt a lot.
Most days I am grateful.

Most days I really do enjoy the messy, imperfect and beautiful adventure of my life.  

Some of my life is not what I would have chosen for myself.  And - by living my life according to the values that are important to me, the way I choose to live it every day - within the confines I chose, and choose, to accept, or chose not to change, I acknowledge I am probably a better person than I suspect I would have, could have, been if I had chosen to live my life in other ways I might have chosen along the way.  

There is no way for me to know since this is the road I have chosen.  Perhaps I would have been as refined, as I experience myself, by other circumstances if I had chosen other paths I might have chosen to walk.

I suppose...  and trust God... the purpose of my life is to choose and choose, a day at a time, according to the state of being within my body, mind and Spirit, and without me, my circumstances from day to day.  I do that.  Some choices are just not available to me.  Some choices I choose not to choose.  And I have an array of other choices available to me every day.

Darn my tender heart... bless my tender heart.  I am grateful to be who I am.  I look forward to more joy, peace and healing along my adventurous road that is my life.

Thank you all who share my journey.

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine... Let it shine, let it shine, all the time." (actually... when I can.)

Some Thoughts Today

I am valuable

I am a daughter of God

I am a daughter of my goodly parents

I am me - unique, special and irreplaceable

My dreams are real

I want to remember what my dreams are/were

I will write them or illustrate them and display them where I will see them

I will make at least five minutes a day on reaching towards them

I choose to read, watch, or listen towards fulfilling them

My dreams will evolve and adapt as I do, and as my life unfolds

My roles are important

I need to be clear on what they are today, this week, this year

I need to protect them so I do them as well as I want to

I will need to say “yes” to some people/things and “no” to others

My roles will change over the years, and change again, and again

My time on this earth is finite

My life and time are precious and I want them to be meaningful

I will use my time wisely every day, every week

This month and year will never come again…  When they are past they are past

I will make them count

My family is my treasure

I will cherish my husband daily – and show it

I will love and pray for my children, grandchildren and great grand-children daily

I will remember them all, and also my extended family, and bless them as I can

Everybody needs regular play-dates

I will make them with my husband

I will make them with my family members and friends

I will keep my play-dates

20^th July 2017 - Inspired by…

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/gospel-solutions-for-families/setting-realistic-expectations-with-self-spouse-and-kids?__prclt=rM9BSJXA

Magenta Love Potatoes

I bought some purple potatoes... they were on special.
I thought "Why not?"
Magenta Love cultivar.
Strange eating purple potatoes!
Texture is the same, taste a little sweet?

I might buy them again...
If opportunity presents itself...

Book: Half of Life is "IF"

I took this book out of the library because the title intrigued me.
I think it was not well edited (not that I really know much about these things - just my gut feel.)
I was disappointed, and I also appreciated reading it.
It is basically a collection of quotes from here and there - some not attributed that I could determine...

Some quotes I collected:

"Rebellion against your handicaps gets you nowhere.  Self pity gets you no where.  One must be adventurous and daring and accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world - making the most of one's best."  Henry Emerson Fosdick p ?

"If you know your enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." Sun Tzu 500BC p 80

"So why let yourself get angry?  The minute you get angry, you lose.  The action you take is not going to be as smart or appropriate as it would have been if you kept your cool." p118

"... don't get mad, get curious."

"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of others, but from doing something worthwhile."  Sir Richard Grenfell p 125

"Be happy with your lot - not only in terms of quality, not only with what you have, but for as long as you have it.  Be happy with your future here and now - whatever it may be."  Ben Zomo p 160

"A wise man is one who can learn from every experience.  The rich man is one who knows how to be happy with whatever he has.  The power of the truly strong (person) is that he can exercize self-control."  p160

Forest Walk

Enjoy our two hour Saturday afternoon Forest Walk with us...

She is holding a grasshopper.

As we came out of the gate of the forest, this is the bank of creeper on the boundary of the house across the road.  Gorgeous.  About 4:30 afternoon light - darkening already...

It was good for my soul to be in this ancient, dry, coastal forest.